UKRAINIAN TAKE OVER !
Dear community,
This page is for those of us who feel helpless in the face of the war in Ukraine.
We thought at how we could help, on our own scale, as individuals and as a brand that already has a small (but significant) visibility.
Confused by the multitude of calls on social networks, we turned to the Ukrainian community in France, which we have access to thanks to Lisa, one of our dearest clients.
Lisa and Vitaliya, two women with Ukrainian origin and family members in Ukraine, have transported more than 130 boxes of medical supplies, food, hygiene products, warm clothing and sleeping bags directly brought by the road since the beginning of the war.
Today, they are organising themselves to provide more meaningful assistance
by organising:
- A sale of vintage designer clothes (Courrèges, YSL) at Moujik in Paris on 8,9,10 April, with all proceeds added to the fund.
- A collect of medicines and food to be dropped off or sent to the Nomasei showroom which serves as a drop off (25 boulevard Poissonnière, 75002 Paris).
- A fundraiser to buy an ambulance and specialised medical equipment available through this link
Full details of these actions can be found at the end of this page.
Apart from their Ukrainian origins, what unites Lisa and Vitalyia is their passion for the Vychyvanka - a traditional and beautiful Ukrainian embroidered dress of which Vita has a large collection.
They are keen to tell us about the history of this traditional costume (pictured here) and to tell you about their country in their own words, so let them have their say!
The term "vychyvanka" refers to traditional East Slavic embroidery designs, which are particularly widespread in Ukraine.
Vychyvankas can be found as early as the early Middle Ages. Serving as a talisman, the embroideries were worn especially in places where evil spirits were supposed to enter the body of the one wearing it.
The designs differ accordingly to the period but also according to the region of production, the occasion for which they are worn (daily life, wedding...) or the age of the person wearing it (vychyvankas dedicated to young women for example...).
They are often enhanced by traditional jewellery and scarves.
The vychyvankas have survived time and the vicissitudes of history. They are still and more than ever the symbol of Ukraine.
But today, Ukraine, and thus vychyvanka, are under threat. War is raging there. Men, women and children are targeted but also Ukrainian culture. Ukrainian language, museums, traditions, customs, costumes....
Destroying that heart that we couldn't take.
In this context, we are fighting for our culture not to disappear and therefore for the survival of those who live it and pass it on.
Since 24 February, we have been organising convoys of
medical equipment, food, hygiene products, warm clothes and sleeping bags.
All these survival kits were received in Lviv and Chernivtsi by our Ukrainian volunteer friends and immediately redistributed throughout Ukraine: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzha (which receives the wounded from Mariupol), Dnipropetrivsk or Sumy.
Today, we would like to
continue to help the people of our country on an even larger scale, for example by contributing to the purchase of an ambulance or by acquiring medical equipment from a specialist supplier.
We have therefore created a dedicated fundraiser if you want to support us in our project.
In addition to this financial support, we would also be very grateful for any words of support, boxes of medicines or cans of food that you could provide.
If you are a Parisian you can drop off your donations at Nomasei's offices at 25 boulevard
Poissonnière.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Lisa and
Vitaliya